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Hope in the waiting

December 16, 2020 By Ben Jones

Encouraging Words

The details of the Christmas story can enthrall me, drawing my imagination into a cold night in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph, road wearied and expecting, settled in a gritty stable. The sharp night air mixed with smells of straw and sheep. A million stars in the clear Middle Eastern sky. I love the idea of […]

Leadership disrupted

September 28, 2020 By Ben Jones

Encouraging Words

Read: Daniel 1:1-21 These days feel unprecedented, but they’re not new to God or his people. There’s comfort in that. Knowing God has taken his people to and through disruptive days before provides us with reassurance that he will do the same for you and me now. Pastors, ministry leaders, and parents: how do you […]

From managing a crisis, to charting a new course

April 21, 2020 By Ben Jones

I read that to say “nobody likes change” isn’t accurate. What nobody likes is change that someone else forces upon them. Most people like change that they get to choose for themselves. People like to change their furniture, change their hairstyle, or “change” out an old car for a new model. It’s the lack of […]

Leadership disrupted

April 6, 2020 By Ben Jones

Encouraging Words

Daniel 1:1-21 These days feel unprecedented, but they’re not new to God or his people. There’s comfort in that. Knowing God has taken his people to and through disruptive days before provides us with reassurance that he will do the same for you and me now. Pastors, ministry leaders, and parents: how do you personally […]

Resources available for Sunday school at home, family devotions

March 20, 2020 By Ben Jones

The Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the regular rhythms of our lives. Social gatherings, travel, even going in to the office, have all come to a sudden halt for many of us. It has been just as disruptive to the lives of our children. Their daily routines of school, sports practices, and maybe even after-school jobs […]

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Featured Columns

What’s really important

Nate Adams

Crisis can bring clarity. When I first heard that simple observation from a friend, its truth immediately resonated with me. A crisis has a way of demanding our attention and diminishing the less important things in our lives. The result can be a clearer vision of what truly is important to us. In other words, […]

Start at home: Building a framework for discipleship

Sarah Bordewick

Being a part of a church family is part of growing as a follower of Jesus. But kids spend far more time in their homes. That’s why we want our families to go deeper together. Discipleship at home is a critical endeavor. God made us for relationship, and those first relationships are in the home. […]

How to navigate conflict together

Mark McCormick

Question: We can’t seem to develop a helpful conflict style in our marriage. Whenever a problem arises, one of us shuts down, making the other one angrier. What are some healthy steps we can take to finding resolution? Answer: Reconciliation is the work of God. Pursuing Christ-like character traits of honesty and humility will help […]

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Baptist Press interviews SBC presidential candidates

Baptist Press

Baptist Press will publish interviews with each of the four announced candidates for SBC president. The Illinois Baptist newspaper will excerpt the interviews as they are released and will also publish the excerpts here. Albert Mohler Jr. Louisville, Ky. | R. Albert Mohler Jr. was to be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention […]

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Illinois Baptist

Equality Act threatens religious freedoms

Lisa Misner

Christian leaders are concerned about the loss of religious freedom, expansion of federal abortion funding, diminished protection for women, and the impact on hiring practices by Christian organizations under HR5, the Equality Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Feb. 25. The vote was 224-206, almost totally along party lines. The bill goes to […]

Floyd urges unity and vision, decries ‘sound of war’

Controversial new teaching standards approved

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Mission

Replanting season: Young churches embrace opportunities for growth and new ministry

Meredith Flynn

Grace Family Church celebrated its second anniversary in early 2021 with a worship service in the Art Deco theater they’ve called home for the last few months. But the young church has already been planted twice. At least, that’s how it feels to Pastor Jorge Rodriguez. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Rodriguez later lived in Chicago […]

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2021 Forecast: Use ‘gap analysis,’ small-scale missions to help people looking for hope

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